Christian Standard Bible

English Standard Version

1About the Ammonites, this is what the LORD says: Does Israel have no sons? Is he without an heir? Why then has Milcom dispossessed Gad and his people settled in their cities?

1Concerning the Ammonites. Thus says the LORD: “Has Israel no sons? Has he no heir? Why then has Milcom dispossessed Gad, and his people settled in its cities?

2Therefore look, the days are coming--this is the LORD's declaration--when I will make the shout of battle heard against Rabbah of the Ammonites. It will become a desolate mound, and its surrounding villages will be set on fire. Israel will dispossess their dispossessors, says the LORD.

2Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will cause the battle cry to be heard against Rabbah of the Ammonites; it shall become a desolate mound, and its villages shall be burned with fire; then Israel shall dispossess those who dispossessed him, says the LORD.

3Wail, Heshbon, for Ai is devastated; cry out, daughters of Rabbah! Clothe yourselves with sackcloth, and lament; run back and forth within your walls, because Milcom will go into exile together with his priests and officials.

3“Wail, O Heshbon, for Ai is laid waste! Cry out, O daughters of Rabbah! Put on sackcloth, lament, and run to and fro among the hedges! For Milcom shall go into exile, with his priests and his officials.

4Why do you boast about your valleys, your flowing valley, you faithless daughter--you who trust in your treasures and say, "Who can attack me?"

4Why do you boast of your valleys, O faithless daughter, who trusted in her treasures, saying, ‘Who will come against me?’

5Look, I am about to bring terror on you--this is the declaration of the Lord GOD of Armies--from all those around you. You will be banished, each person headlong, with no one to gather up the fugitives.

5Behold, I will bring terror upon you, declares the Lord GOD of hosts, from all who are around you, and you shall be driven out, every man straight before him, with none to gather the fugitives.

6But after that, I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites. This is the LORD's declaration.

6“But afterward I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites, declares the LORD.”

7About Edom, this is what the LORD of Armies says: Is there no longer wisdom in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom rotted away?

7Concerning Edom. Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Is wisdom no more in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom vanished?

8Run! Turn back! Lie low, residents of Dedan, for I will bring Esau's calamity on him at the time I punish him.

8Flee, turn back, dwell in the depths, O inhabitants of Dedan! For I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, the time when I punish him.

9If grape harvesters came to you, wouldn't they leave some gleanings? Were thieves to come in the night, they would destroy only what they wanted.

9If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave gleanings? If thieves came by night, would they not destroy only enough for themselves?

10But I will strip Esau bare; I will uncover his secret places. He will try to hide, but he will be unable. His descendants will be destroyed along with his relatives and neighbors. He will exist no longer.

10But I have stripped Esau bare; I have uncovered his hiding places, and he is not able to conceal himself. His children are destroyed, and his brothers, and his neighbors; and he is no more.

11Abandon your fatherless; I will preserve them; let your widows trust in me.

11Leave your fatherless children; I will keep them alive; and let your widows trust in me.”

12For this is what the LORD says: "If those who do not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, can you possibly remain unpunished? You will not remain unpunished, for you must drink it too.

12For thus says the LORD: “If those who did not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, will you go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished, but you must drink.

13For by myself I have sworn"--this is the LORD's declaration--"Bozrah will become a desolation, a disgrace, a ruin, and an example for cursing, and all its surrounding cities will become ruins forever."

13For I have sworn by myself, declares the LORD, that Bozrah shall become a horror, a taunt, a waste, and a curse, and all her cities shall be perpetual wastes.”

14I have heard an envoy from the LORD; a messenger has been sent among the nations: Assemble yourselves to come against her. Rise up for war!

14I have heard a message from the LORD, and an envoy has been sent among the nations: “Gather yourselves together and come against her, and rise up for battle!

15I will certainly make you insignificant among the nations, despised among humanity.

15For behold, I will make you small among the nations, despised among mankind.

16As to the terror you cause, your arrogant heart has deceived you. You who live in the clefts of the rock, you who occupy the mountain summit, though you elevate your nest like the eagles, even from there I will bring you down. This is the LORD's declaration.

16The horror you inspire has deceived you, and the pride of your heart, you who live in the clefts of the rock, who hold the height of the hill. Though you make your nest as high as the eagle’s, I will bring you down from there, declares the LORD.

17"Edom will become a desolation. Everyone who passes by her will be appalled and scoff because of all her wounds.

17“Edom shall become a horror. Everyone who passes by it will be horrified and will hiss because of all its disasters.

18As when Sodom and Gomorrah were overthrown along with their neighbors," says the LORD, "no one will live there; no human being will stay in it even temporarily.

18As when Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring cities were overthrown, says the LORD, no man shall dwell there, no man shall sojourn in her.

19"Look, it will be like a lion coming from the thickets of the Jordan to the watered grazing land. I will chase Edom away from her land in a flash. I will appoint whoever is chosen for her. For who is like me? Who will issue me a summons? Who is the shepherd who can stand against me?"

19Behold, like a lion coming up from the jungle of the Jordan against a perennial pasture, I will suddenly make him run away from her. And I will appoint over her whomever I choose. For who is like me? Who will summon me? What shepherd can stand before me?

20Therefore, hear the plans that the LORD has drawn up against Edom and the strategies he has devised against the people of Teman: The flock's little lambs will certainly be dragged away, and their grazing land will be made desolate because of them.

20Therefore hear the plan that the LORD has made against Edom and the purposes that he has formed against the inhabitants of Teman: Even the little ones of the flock shall be dragged away. Surely their fold shall be appalled at their fate.

21At the sound of their fall the earth will quake; the sound of her cry will be heard at the Red Sea.

21At the sound of their fall the earth shall tremble; the sound of their cry shall be heard at the Red Sea.

22Look! It will be like an eagle soaring upward, then swooping down and spreading its wings over Bozrah. In that day the hearts of Edom's warriors will be like the heart of a woman with contractions.

22Behold, one shall mount up and fly swiftly like an eagle and spread his wings against Bozrah, and the heart of the warriors of Edom shall be in that day like the heart of a woman in her birth pains.”

23About Damascus: Hamath and Arpad are put to shame, for they have heard a bad report and are agitated, like the anxious sea that cannot be calmed.

23Concerning Damascus: “Hamath and Arpad are confounded, for they have heard bad news; they melt in fear, they are troubled like the sea that cannot be quiet.

24Damascus has become weak; she has turned to run; panic has gripped her. Distress and labor pains have seized her like a woman in labor.

24Damascus has become feeble, she turned to flee, and panic seized her; anguish and sorrows have taken hold of her, as of a woman in labor.

25How can the city of praise not be abandoned, the town that brings me joy?

25How is the famous city not forsaken, the city of my joy?

26Therefore, her young men will fall in her public squares; all the warriors will perish in that day. This is the declaration of the LORD of Armies.

26Therefore her young men shall fall in her squares, and all her soldiers shall be destroyed in that day, declares the LORD of hosts.

27I will set fire to the wall of Damascus; it will consume Ben-hadad's citadels.

27And I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it shall devour the strongholds of Ben-hadad.”

28About Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon defeated, this is what the LORD says: Rise up, attack Kedar, and destroy the people of the east!

28Concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon struck down. Thus says the LORD: “Rise up, advance against Kedar! Destroy the people of the east!

29They will take their tents and their flocks along with their tent curtains and all their equipment. They will take their camels for themselves. They will call out to them, "Terror is on every side!"

29Their tents and their flocks shall be taken, their curtains and all their goods; their camels shall be led away from them, and men shall cry to them: ‘Terror on every side!’

30Run! Escape quickly! Lie low, residents of Hazor--this is the LORD's declaration--for King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has drawn up a plan against you; he has devised a strategy against you.

30Flee, wander far away, dwell in the depths, O inhabitants of Hazor! declares the LORD. For Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has made a plan against you and formed a purpose against you.

31Rise up, attack a nation at ease, one living in security. This is the LORD's declaration. They have no doors, not even a gate bar; they live alone.

31“Rise up, advance against a nation at ease, that dwells securely, declares the LORD, that has no gates or bars, that dwells alone.

32Their camels will become plunder, and their massive herds of cattle will become spoil. I will scatter them to the wind in every direction, those who clip the hair on their temples; I will bring calamity on them across all their borders. This is the LORD's declaration.

32Their camels shall become plunder, their herds of livestock a spoil. I will scatter to every wind those who cut the corners of their hair, and I will bring their calamity from every side of them, declares the LORD.

33Hazor will become a jackals' den, a desolation forever. No one will live there; no human being will stay in it even temporarily.

33Hazor shall become a haunt of jackals, an everlasting waste; no man shall dwell there; no man shall sojourn in her.”

34This is the word of the LORD that came to the prophet Jeremiah about Elam at the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah.

34The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah.

35This is what the LORD of Armies says: I am about to shatter Elam's bow, the source of their might.

35Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the mainstay of their might.

36I will bring the four winds against Elam from the four corners of the heavens, and I will scatter them to all these winds. There will not be a nation to which Elam's banished ones will not go.

36And I will bring upon Elam the four winds from the four quarters of heaven. And I will scatter them to all those winds, and there shall be no nation to which those driven out of Elam shall not come.

37I will devastate Elam before their enemies, before those who intend to take their lives. I will bring disaster on them, my burning anger. This is the LORD's declaration. I will send the sword after them until I finish them off.

37I will terrify Elam before their enemies and before those who seek their life. I will bring disaster upon them, my fierce anger, declares the LORD. I will send the sword after them, until I have consumed them,

38I will set my throne in Elam, and I will destroy the king and officials from there. This is the LORD's declaration.

38and I will set my throne in Elam and destroy their king and officials, declares the LORD.

39Yet, in the last days, I will restore the fortunes of Elam. This is the LORD's declaration.

39“But in the latter days I will restore the fortunes of Elam, declares the LORD.”

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.